The first-ever Rally Saudi Arabia is being held with an unusual schedule. The shakedown and the opening spectator stage of the WRC season finale are already taking place on Wednesday, and the rally will finish on Saturday.
Three drivers are still in the fight for the world title: Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä. Of the trio, Rovanperä was the strongest on the first run of the shakedown stage.
Check the World Rally Championship standings here!
Starting third on the road, Rovanperä set the fastest time by 1.1 seconds over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was third, ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and Ott Tänak.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend for the cars, drivers and tyres. It’s going to be an emotional weekend for us, but we’ll try to have some fun and the best final result we can. We will go for the win and do everything we can to have a good weekend,” said Rovanperä, who will step away from the WRC after Rally Saudi Arabia.
The first run of the shakedown revealed that the top drivers in the championship suffered from their early starting positions on the desert gravel roads: Ogier was 1.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä, while Evans dropped 3.7 seconds.
As the championship leader, Evans must sweep the gravel stages on Thursday as the first car on the road – a tough task for the Welshman.
“It’s going to be tough. We just have to do what we can,” Evans said.
Evans was only tenth on the opening runs of the shakedown. He was also beaten by two M-Sport Ford drivers: Latvian hope Martins Sesks and the desert rally specialist Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar.
The shakedown at Rally Saudi Arabia is still ongoing. The rally’s opening super special stage will be held on Wednesday evening at 18:35 Central European time.
Rally Saudi Arabia shakedown results after the first run:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 3:04.6 |
| 2. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1.1 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1.5 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1.6 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1.6 |
| 6. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1.8 |
| 7. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2.3 |
| 8. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +2.8 |
| 8. | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford | +2.8 |
| 10. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3.7 |
| 11. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +6.4 |
Rally Saudi Arabia itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 26 November
09:01 Shakedown: Thabhan (4.56 km)
18:35 SS1: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 1 (5.22 km)
Thursday 27 November
06:08 SS2: Al Fasallyah 1 (19.36 km)
07:06 SS3: Moon Stage 1 (20.12 km)
08:04 SS4: Khulays 1 (11.33 km)
10:14 Service (40 min)
12:22 SS5: Al Fasallyah 2 (19.36 km)
13:20 SS6: Moon Stage 2 (20.12 km)
14:18 SS7: Khulays 2 (11.33 km)
17:28 Service (45 min)
18:31 SS8: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 (5.22 km)
Friday 28 November
06:26 SS9: Alghullah 1 (11.69 km)
07:19 SS10: Um Al Jerem 1 (30.58 km)
08:35 SS11: Wadi Almatwi 1 (28.59 km)
10:15 Service (40 min)
11:51 SS12: Alghullah 2 (11.69 km)
12:47 SS13: Um Al Jerem 2 (30.58 km)
14:05 SS14: Wadi Almatwi 2 (28.59 km)
Saturday 29 November
07:05 SS15: Thabhan 1 (16.29 km)
08:21 SS16: Asfan (33.28 km)
11:15 SS17: Thabhan 2 (16.29 km) *Power Stage
